Compactor with yieldable receptacle

ABSTRACT

A compactor which includes a housing and a ram mounted in the housing for vertically reciprocal movement and a refuse receiving drawer which is slidable into and out of the housing between a compacting position beneath the ram and a noncompacting position outwardly of the housing. The drawer is resiliently mounted with respect to the housing to permit the drawer to move a small distance vertically when compacting forces exerted by the ram exceed a certain amount so that this excess load is transferred from the drawer slides to the base of the housing.

United States Patent Engebretsen Dec. 3, 1974 [54] COMPACTOR WITH YIELDABLE 3,720,844 3/1973 Sahs 100/229 ux RECEPTACLE 3,732,806 5/1973 Bourgeois 100/295 [75] Inventor: Einar O. Engebretsen, Troy, Ohio Primary Examiner Bmy J. wilhite [73] Assignee: The Hobart Manufacturing Attorney, g Firm-56b6, French gg Company, Troy, Ohio [22 Filed: Apr. 17, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT A Compactor which includes a housing and a ram [211 App! 244454 mounted in the housing for vertically reciprocal movement and a refuse receiving drawer which is slidable 52 US. 01 100/229 A, 100/290, 308/36, into and out of the housing between a compacting P 312/319 sition beneath the ram and a noncompacting position 51 1111.01 B30b 15/00, B30b 1/l8 outwardly of the housing The drawer is resiliently 581 Field of Search 100/229 A, 229 R, 290; mounted with respect to the housing to Permit the 312/341, 350, 319, 332; 308/36, 3.8 drawer to move a small distance vertically when compacting forces exerted by the ram exceed a certain [56] Ref Cit d amount so that this excess load is transferred from the UNITED STATES PATENTS drawer slides to the base of the housing.

1,435,232 11/1922 Hieber 100/223 x 0 Clam 7 Drawing Figures 34 32\ 30 f 11 i :1 1; I: I0 1 ii E=, 'e ,-2a l W 1 I: l I1 (:1 I ii :1 1a 20 J .IIIQITIII 52 1: I, 36

:1 36 :i El ll li 11 IJ l PATENTE; SEC 3 I574 SHEET 10F 2 PATENTEL EEC 31974 SHEH 2 OF 2 as 92 9o IIIIIIIJ COMPACTOR WITH YIELDABLE RECEPTACLE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION COMPACTOR AND DRIVE ASSEMBLY, Ser. No. 194,891, filed Nov. 2, I971, now US. Pat. No. 3,734,009 which issued May 22, 1973.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the above noted, related application a compactor is disclosed which is intended primarily, although not exclusively, for home use. The compactor comprises a ram mounted in a housing for vertically reciprocal movement and a refuse receptacle, in the form of a drawer. The drawer or receptacle, is slidable from a noncompacting position outside the housing to a compacting position within the housing beneath the ram, so that the ram may be lowered into the drawer and compact waste material deposited therein to reduce the volume thereof.

The use of a drawer as the refuse receptacle provides many advantages, including the fact that access to its interior is greatly facilitated by the fact that the drawer is freely movable from its compacting position to a position outside of the housing. While the use of a drawer freely slidable into and out of the housing is therefore, advantageous, it will be apparent that severe forces may be imposed on the slides of the drawer during a compacting stroke of the ram.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A compactor in accordance with the present invention includes a drawer slidable into and out of the compactor housing and a ram mounted in an upper position of the housing and movable into the drawer when the latter is positioned within the housing to compact waste materials therein. The drawer is provided with means for permitting it to yield under the force of the ram to transfer excess compacting forces from the drawer slides to the base of the compactor housing.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the housing mounted portions of the drawer slides are not rigidly fixed to the housing but are mounted on spring loaded carrier plates slidably attached to the structural uprights of the housing. Bolts pass through the mounting plates and are received in slots in the uprights and coil springs urge the plates upwardly. Therefore, when compacting forces are exerted on the drawer, the tension of the coil springs is overcome and the mounting plates slide downwardly with the bolts riding in the slots in the uprights.

In a second embodiment of the invention the refuse receiving drawer is provided with spring loaded brackets mounted on its opposite side walls. A portion of each of the brackets engage the drawer slides and coil springs are provided to insure that the weight of the drawer is ordinarily carried by the slides.

Specifically, the brackets are pivotally attached to the drawer and are provided with outwardly projecting flanges which rest on the drawer slides. Coil springs are also attached to the sides of the drawer and to outwardly projecting lugs on thebrackets. With this construction the brackets will pivot against spring tension, lowering the drawer until its bottom rests on and is supported by the base of the housing.

In either case, when the forces exerted by the ram on the drawer exceed a predetermined amount, spring tension is overcome and the drawer is allowed to move downwardly a small amount until the bottom thereof contacts the base of the compactor housing, thereby transferring the compacting forces to the base of the compactor housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of a compactor, with portions removed for clarity, illustrating features of the present drawer slide mechanism and associated compactor structure DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a compactor 10 in accordance with the present invention comprises a housing 12 having a base 14 and opposed side walls, one of which is shown at 16. A ram 18 is mounted within the housing and includes a self-contained motor 20 for driving the ram upwardly and downwardly within the housing along stationary jack screws 22.

The specific drive mechanism for the ram forms no part of the present invention and for a detailed description thereof reference may be had to the above noted, related applications. Suffice to s ay, the motor 20 drives a sprocket 24 which, through a belt 26, drives a sprocket 28, which in turn powers sprocket 30 which is wrapped by a drive chain 32. The drive chain 32 is trained about sprockets 34 which threadably engage the stationary jack screws 22 and cause the ram to move upwardly and downwardly within the housing.

The housing 12 also includes uprights 36 adjacent each of its four corners. Each of the uprights 36, as perhaps better seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, is provided with a pair of vertically spaced slots 38. Slide carrier plates 40 are slidably mounted on each of the uprights 36 by means of bolts 42 passing through openings formed in each of the carrier plates and the slots 38 in the uprights 36 and secured in place by nuts, washers, etc.

Each of the uprights is provided with a substantially rectangularly shaped opening 44 formed therethrough above the slots 38. Coil springs 46 are received in the openings 44 with an upper end hooked through an aperture 48 formed through the uprights 36 and a lower end hooked through an aperture 50 formed through each of the carrier plates 40.

Attached to each of the carrier plates 40 by means of bolts, welding or the like are drawer slides, indicated in their entirety by the numeral 52. The slides 52 in turn, slidably support the drawer 54 for movement between the noncompacting position shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings and a compacting position wherein the open top of the drawer is positioned beneath the ram 18 to receive the ram therein on a downward compacting stroke of the ram.

With the above construction it will be apparent that refuse may be deposited in the open top drawer 54 when it is in the noncompacting position seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Thereafter, the drawer is slidably moved on the drawer slides 52 to a compacting position within the housing with the open top of the drawer situated beneath the ram 18. The motor is then energized, causing the ram to move downwardly along the stationary jack screws 22 to compress refuse deposited in the drawer 54.

As the ram moves downwardly the forces imposed on the drawer will overcome the spring tension of the springs 46, allowing the drawer 54 to shift downwardly a short distance, as indicated by the arrow 56 in FIG. 1 of the drawings, permitting the drawer 54 to bottom on the base 14 so that the compacting forces-are transferred from the drawer slides 52 to the base of the compactor.

In this way, although the drawer 54 is freely slidable into and out of the housing, the forces exerted on the drawer slides are never allowed to exceed some predetermined amount, thereby avoiding damage to the slide mechanism.

Turning now to FIGS. 4-7 of the drawings, a second preferred embodiment of the invention will be described. As seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings, a compactor 10, as in the previous embodiment, includes a housing 12 having a base 14 and opposed side walls 16. Additionally, a ram 18 having a self-contained motor 20 is mounted within the housing for movement along jack screws 22 in the manner described previously with respect to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings Additionally, the refuse receiving receptacle or drawer 54 is mounted for sliding movement into and out of the housing between a noncompacting position beneath the ram, as shown in dotted lines, and a noncompacting position shown in solid lines.

In this embodiment the drawer 54 is supported for slidable movement by means of the drawer slide assemblies referenced in their entirety by the numeral 60. Each slide assembly 60 includes, as best seen in FIG. 7 of the drawings, a stationary slide 62 fixed to a plate member 64 extending along and attached to opposed side walls of the housing in any suitable manner. A moveable slide 66 is associated with the fixed slide 62 for slidable movement relative thereto by means of a bearing unit 68 which includes a plurality of bearings 70.

A bracket 72 is pivotally attached to each of the side walls 74 of the drawer 54 by means of a rivet or the like 76. Each bracket 72 includes an outwardly projecting leg 78 turned downwardly at its outer end and adapted to rest on the upper surface of a movable slide 66. At its opposite end each bracket 72 is provided with an outwardly projecting lug 80 adapted to be engaged by one end 82 of a coil spring 84.

A second bracket 86 is also attached to each side wall 74 of the drawer by means of welding or the like 88 and a lug 90 projects outwardly from the body of the bracket 86 to receive an upper end 92 of the spring 84.

The bottom wall of the drawer will normally be tom and the housing base during sliding movement of the drawer. However, when the motor 20 for the compacting ram is energized and the ram begins to move downwardly, the forces imposed on the drawer, which are initially carried by the drawer slides 60, are transferred by the yielding pivotal movement of the bracket 72 to the base 14 of the housing.

Thus, as best seen in FIG. 6 of the drawings, downward forces on the drawer above some predetermined amount will overcome the tension of the springs 84 and permit the brackets to pivot about the points 76 and allow the drawer to move downwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow 94 in FIG. 4 of the drawings until the bottom wall of the drawer 54 contacts the base 14 of the housing.

As a result, forces exerted on the drawer slides are never allowed to exceed some predetermined amount, as regulated by the tension of the springs 84, and forces in excess of this amount are automatically transferred from the drawer slides to the base of the compactor housing.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A compactor comprising:

a. a compactor housing,

b. a ram mounted in said housing for vertically reciprocal movement therein,

c. a slidably mounted refuse receiving drawer,

d. means supporting said drawer for translational movement between a compacting position beneath said ram and a noncompacting position displaced outwardly of said compacting position, and

e. means in engagement with said drawer supporting means for permitting limited yielding movement of said drawer under compacting movement of said ram sufficient to relieve compacting forces from said drawer supporting means.

2. The compactor of claim 1 wherein:

a. said supporting means includes opposed drawer slides;

3. The compactor of claim 2 wherein said means for permitting yielding movement comprises:

a. resilient means permitting limited vertical movement of said drawer with respect to said housing in response to forces exerted in said receptacle by said ram.

4. The compactor of claim 3 further comprising:

a. slide carrier plates,

b. means attaching said drawer slides to said carrier plates,

c. means slidably mounting said carrier plates to said housing for limited vertical movement with respect thereto, and

d. said resilient means resisting sliding movement of said carrier plates with respect to said housing.

5. The compactor of claim 3 further comprising:

a. bracket members having portions engaging said slides,

b. means pivotally mounting said bracket members on said drawer, and

c. said resilient means resisting pivotal movement of said brackets with respect to said drawer.

6. The compactor of claim 1 wherein:

a. said housing includes a top, a base and opposed uprights extending between said top and base,

b. said drawer has opposed side walls, an open top and a bottom wall,

c. bracket members are pivotally mounted on outer surfaces of said drawer side walls,

d. said drawer supporting means includes opposed drawer slides mounted on said uprights,

e. portions of said brackets spaced from the pivotal connections thereof engage said drawer slides, and

f. spring members are attached to and extend be tween said drawer and said brackets and yieldably maintain said drawer bottom wall and said housing base in spaced relationship to each other.

7. A compactor comprising:

a. a compactor housing having a top, a baseand opposed uprights extending between said top and said base,

b. a ram mounted in said housing for vertically reciprocal movement toward and away from said base,

0. a plurality of slide carrier plates,

d. means mounting said carrier plates on said uprights for slidable movement therealong,

e. means resiliently urging said carrier plates upwardly with respect to said uprights,

f. substantially horizontally extending drawer slides attached to said carrier plates and extending between said uprights, and

g. an open top drawer slidably supported on said drawer slides for sliding movement between a compacting position beneath said ram and a noncompacting displaced from said compacting position.

8. A compactor comprising:

a. a compactor housing,

b. a ram mounted in said housing for vertically reciprocal movement therein,

0. a refuse receiving receptacle,

d. opposed drawer slides slidably supporting said receptacle for movement between a compacting position beneath said ram and a noncompacting position displaced outwardly of said compacting position,

e. slide carrier plates,

f. means attaching said drawer slides to said carrier plates,

g. means slidably mounting said carrier plates to said housing for limited vertical movement with respect thereto,

and

h. resilient means resisting sliding movement of said carrier plates with respect to said housing and permitting limited yielding movement of said receptacle under compacting movement of said ram sufficient to relieve compacting forces from said drawer slides.

9. The compactor of claim 8 wherein said mounting means comprises:

a. vertically extending slots formed in portions of said housing, and

b. bolt members extending through said carrier plates and said slots.

10. A compactor comprising:

a. a compactor housing,

b. a ram mounted in said housing for vertically reciprocal movement therein,

c. a refuse receiving drawer,

(1. drawer slides supporting said drawer for translational movement between a compacting position beneath said ram and a noncompacting position cantilevered outwardly of said compacting position and supported by said slides, and

e. spring means attached to said drawer slides and permitting limited yielding movement of said drawer slides with respect to said housing under compacting movement of said ram sufficient to relieve compacting forces from said drawer slides. 

1. A compactor comprising: a. a compactor housing, b. a ram mounted in said housing for vertically reciprocal movement therein, c. a slidably mounted refuse receiving drawer, d. means supporting said drawer for translational movement between a compacting position beneath said ram and a noncompacting position displaced outwardly of said compacting position, and e. means in engagement with said drawer supporting means for permitting limited yielding movement of said drawer under compacting movement of said ram sufficient to relieve compacting forces from said drawer supporting means.
 2. The compactor of claim 1 wherein: a. said supporting means includes opposed drawer slides.
 3. The compactor of claim 2 wherein said means for permitting yielding movement comprises: a. resilient means permitting limited vertical movement of said drawer with respect to said housing in response to forces exerted in said receptacle by said ram.
 4. The compactor of claim 3 further comprising: a. slide carrier plates, b. means attaching said drawer slides to said carrier plates, c. means slidably mounting said carrier plates to said housing for limited vertical movement with respect thereto, and d. said resilient means resisting sliding movement of said carrier plates with respect to said housing.
 5. The compactor of claim 3 further comprising: a. bracket members having portions engaging said slides, b. means pivotally mounting said bracket members on said drawer, and c. said resilient means resisting pivotal movement of said brackets with respect to said drawer.
 6. The compactor of claim 1 wherein: a. said housing includes a top, a base and opposed uprights extending between said top and base, b. said drawer has opposed side walls, an open top and a bottom wall, c. bracket members are pivotally mounted on outer surfaces of said drawer side walls, d. said drawer supporting means includes opposed drawer slides mounted on said uprights, e. portions of said brackets spaced from the pivotal connections thereof engage said drawer slides, and f. spring members are attached to and extend between said drawer and said brackets and yieldably maintain said drawer bottom wall and said housing base in spaced relationship to each other.
 7. A compactor comprising: a. a compactor housing having a top, a base and opposed uprights extending between said top and said base, b. a ram mounted in said housing for vertically reciprocal movement toward and away from said base, c. a plurality of slide carrier plates, d. means mounting said carrier plates on said uprights for slidable movement therealong, e. means resiliently urging said carrier plates upwardly with respect to said uprights, f. substantially horizontally extending drawer slides attached to said carrier plates and extending between said uprights, and g. an open top drawer slidably supported on said drawer slides for sliding movement between a compacting position beneath said ram and a noncompacting displaced from said compacting position.
 8. A compactor comprising: a. a compactor housing, b. a ram mounted in said housing for vertically reciprocal movement therein, c. a refuse receiving receptacle, d. opposed drawer slides slidably supporting said receptacle for movement between a compacting position beneath said ram and a noncompacting position displaced outwardly of said compacting position, e. slide carrier plates, f. means attaching said drawer slides to said carrier plates, g. means slidably mounting said carrier plates to said housing for limited vertical movement with respect thereto, and h. resilient means resisting sliding movement of said carrier plates with respect to said housing and permitting limited yielding movement of said receptacle under compacting movement of said ram sufficient to relieve compacting forces from said drawer slides.
 9. The compactor of claim 8 wherein said mounting means comprises: a. vertically extending slots formed in portions of said housing, and B. bolt members extending through said carrier plates and said slots.
 10. A compactor comprising: a. a compactor housing, b. a ram mounted in said housing for vertically reciprocal movement therein, c. a refuse receiving drawer, d. drawer slides supporting said drawer for translational movement between a compacting position beneath said ram and a noncompacting position cantilevered outwardly of said compacting position and supported by said slides, and e. spring means attached to said drawer slides and permitting limited yielding movement of said drawer slides with respect to said housing under compacting movement of said ram sufficient to relieve compacting forces from said drawer slides. 